It's Deja Vu
by bttf4444
Summary: When Doc of the timeline where he saw his gravestone in 1955 sees that Marty has purchased an almanac in 2015, he remembers something that Marty told him after his return in 1955. A short AU story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Back to the Future.**

**Author's Notes: This story is based on the conclusion that 1985 Doc in 1885 is not - and never was - the same as 1955 Doc of the Gravestone Timeline. After all, not only did 1985 Doc in 1885 not remember seeing his gravestone in 1955 - but he also never remembered dressing Marty in that odd outfit. **

_October 21, 2015  
5:15 PM PST_

'Why, yes, yes, of course!' Doc was saying to Marty. 'Because this hoverboard incident has now occurred, Griff now goes to jail. Therefore, your son won't go with him tonight - and that robbery will never take place. Thus history, future history, has now been altered - and this is the proof! Marty, we've succeeded - not exactly as I'd planned, but no matter. Let's go get Jennifer and go home!'

Marty put the hoverboard in the DeLorean, turned to Einie, and said, 'Hi, Einie! Hi, buddy!' Marty then picked up the almanac in its bag, but the book fell out and landed at Doc's feet.

'What's this?' Doc asked, incredulous. Then, suddenly remembering something that Marty said to him after his return to 1955, he urged, 'Quick, Marty, let's get in the car. We'll discuss this later. We have to go get Jennifer, now.'

'But what wrong with...' Marty started to ask.

'No time for that right now,' Doc interrupted. 'We have to go, quickly.'

As soon as Doc and Marty had boarded the DeLorean, Doc immediately flew off to find Jennifer.

oooooooooo

Biff opened the door of where he was hiding, and smirked, 'So that's where the almanac came from! Doc Brown must have invented a time machine! They seemed to be a real hurry to get out of here, as if they knew something was up.'

Biff then went to call for a cab, vowing that he would warn his younger self to be especially careful. Maybe he would just return the almanac to his younger self the next day, and tell him all he knows about 'Calvin Klein'.

oooooooooo

'47?' asked one of the police officers, as Doc was listening in through his futuristic binoculars. 'That's a hell of a good facelift.'

'Great Scott!' gasped Doc. 'They found her!'

'Well, we gotta stop them!' insisted Marty.

'What are we going to say,' argued Doc, 'that we're time travellers? Hey, they'd have us committed.'

'Well, we should just follow them, then,' suggested Marty.

'We can't,' replied Doc. 'We're not allowed to drive on the same skyways as the police officers. We'll have to drive to your future home on the regular skyways.'

'You mean I'm going to see where I live?' Doc asked, excitedly. 'I'm going to see myself as an old man?'

'No, no, no, Marty - that could resolve in a...' Doc then gave a groan, as he realized something. 'Great Scott! Jennifer could conceivably encounter her future self, the consequences of that could be disastrous.'

'Doc, what do you mean?' Marty asked, worriedly

'I foresee two possibilities.' explained Doc. 'One - coming face-to-face with herself thirty years older could put her into shock, and she could simply pass out. Or two - the encounter could create a time paradox, the results of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe. Granted, that's the worse case scenario. The destruction might, in fact, be very localized - limited to merely our own galaxy.'

'Well, that's a relief,' Marty said, sarcastically.

'So that's why we're driving over there, now! I sure hope we find Jennifer before she finds herself!' Doc then looked at a sign which gave information on the skyway. 'The skyway's jammed, it's going to take us forever to get there. I hope we make it over there in time. I'll talk to you about the almanac as soon as we arrive in 1985.'

oooooooooo

'Here we are, now, Marty,' Doc said, as he landed the DeLorean in front of the McFly's future home. 'You wait out here while I come in to get Jennifer. I could swear that I saw Biff following us in the taxi cab. I think he found out that I created a time machine. At any rate, I need you to watch out for him - and I'll take the almanac with me.'

'Gee, Doc, this is heavy,' groaned Marty. 'How on earth did Biff find that out?'

'I'll explain everything to you, later,' Doc said, briskly. Then, turning to Einstein, he added, 'Hey, Einie, if Biff comes over here - feel free to bite him!'

Einstein licked Doc's hand, as if he understood. Marty watched, as Doc entered the home. A few minutes later, Marty saw a taxi pull up behind them - and he saw Biff walking out.

'One Seven Four Point Five Zero,' a computerized voice was saying.

'That'll be 174.50,' the taxi driver told Biff.

'Here,' replied Biff, as he put his thumbprint on the taxi driver's gadget.

'Careful, old timer,' warned the taxi driver. 'This is a rough neighbourhood.'

'Just give me the receipt,' demanded Biff, undeterred.

'Here you go,' replied the taxi driver, as he handed Biff the receipt.

'Hello? How about a tip?' chirped the parrot. When Biff refused, the parrot laughed derisively.

'All right, butthead!' snarled Biff, as he made his way over to Marty. 'Yeah, I knew who you really are, Mr. Calvin Klein. I'll see to it that you don't steal the almanac away from me, again - you little son of a bitch!'

'What the hell are you talking about, you crazy old man?' demanded Marty, confused.

'Oh, don't play dumb with me, butthead!' sneered Biff, as he began to hit Marty with his cane. 'You're the son of a bitch who pretended to be Calvin Klein in 1955, made me crash into a manure truck twice, and stole the almanac away from me. Well, this isn't going to happen again.'

As Einstein made his move to attack Biff, Marty felt very dazed. He didn't remember stealing an almanac from Biff, and he only made Biff crash into a manure truck once.

'That's what you think, you old timer,' shouted Marty, as he punched Biff in the face - causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. He then carried Biff to the garbage can and stuffed him inside.

oooooooooo

'About thirty years ago,' Lorraine was saying, 'your father tried to prove he wasn't chicken and he ended up in an automobile accident.'

'Oh, you mean with the Rolls Royce?' asked Marlene, with understanding.

'Automobile accident?' Jennifer asked, horrified.

'That accident caused a chain reaction of events which sent Marty's life straight down the tube,' Lorraine continued. 'If not for that accident, your father's life would have turned out very different. The man in the Rolls Royce wouldn't have pressed charges, Marty wouldn't have broken his hand and he wouldn't have given up on his music. And he wouldn't have spent all those years feeling sorry for himself.'

'Hey, Mom, nice pants,' said a somewhat familiar voice. Jennifer turned to see someone who looked a lot like her boyfriend.

'I think the real reason your mother married him,' added Lorraine, 'was because she felt sorry for him.

'Mom?' Jennifer asked, stunned. She figured that she must somehow be dreaming.

'Such a sweet girl,' commented Lorraine.

'Hey, Jennifer,' whispered a familiar voice.

'Oh, Doc,' gushed Jennifer, with relief, 'am I glad to see you!'

'We have to get out of here, Jennifer,' Doc whispered. 'Come follow me.'

'How did we end up here, anyway?' Jennifer asked, stunned.

'All in good time, Jennifer,' replied Doc. 'I'll explain everything to you later.'

oooooooooo

'You did it, Marty,' called out Doc, as he and Jennifer walked up to the DeLorean.

'Yeah, I knocked him out, Doc,' Marty said, with pride. 'I still don't get how he found out who I really was - and what he meant by how I stole an almanac from him back in 1955. Do you know what that's all about?'

'I'll explain everything to you,' Doc replied, 'as soon as we return to 1985.'

'Did you invent a time machine, Doc?' Jennifer asked, stunned. Then, with a hurt look on her face, she added, 'Why did you knock me out before? What was that all about?'

'Come on, both of you,' urged Doc. 'Let's get in the car. I'll explain everything to you in 1985. We'd better leave before Biff comes to.'

'Uh, yeah, right, Doc,' replied Marty, as he and Jennifer squeezed in together on the passenger seat.

After Doc inputted OCT 26 9:00 PM on the Destination Time panel, he warned, 'Marty, Jennifer, Einie - brace yourselves for temporal displacement.'

Then Doc began to pilot the DeLorean onto the skyway, until he got up to 88 miles per hour - then, just as they were about to pass a floating sign, the DeLorean broke the time barrier. 


	2. Chapter 2

_October 26, 1985  
9:00 PM PST_

'Did we make it?'asked Marty, with concern. 'Are we back?' Then, as a jumble jet just barely missed them, Marty shrieked, 'Argh!'

'We're back,' replied Doc, as he landed to the ground. 'Let's go back to my garage - and then we'll talk about that almanac, Marty. Then I want to explain something to the both of you, of what happened in 1955.'

'What was wrong about me purchasing the almanac?' Marty asked, defensively. 'Hey, Doc, what's the harm of bringing back, er, a little info on the future? Thought maybe we could place a couple of bets.'

'That right there is the problem I have,' Doc said, sternly. 'I didn't invent the time machine for financial gain. The intent here is to gain a clear perception of humanity. Where we've been, where we're going. The pitfalls and the possibilities. The perils and the promise. Perhaps even an answer to that universal question, why?'

'Hey, Doc, I'm all for that!' insisted Marty. 'What's wrong with making a few bucks on the side?'

'Yeah, I don't see what the problem is, either,' added Jennifer. 'I mean, what good is it to have a time machine - if we can't use it to improve our lives a bit?'

'You kids,' Doc said, shaking his head. 'Listen, we're at my lab now. When we come inside, we'll discuss this a little bit more. Besides, this is for your own good.'

Marty and Jennifer both groaned at Doc's last statement, as they followed Doc into the garage. Marty couldn't help but think that Doc was being a little too uptight.

Doc looked around, and gasped, 'What the hell happened here? Marty, I thought I told you not to hook up to the amplifier - that there might be a slight possibility of overload!'

'Yeah, I know you told me that,' Marty said, blinking back tears, 'and I'm sorry. But I already hooked up the amplifier before you called me.'

'It's okay, Marty,' said Doc, gently placing his hand on Marty's shoulder. 'I guess I should have warned you earlier.'

'Yeah, and you also forgot to turn off your equipment,' Marty reminded Doc. Marty looked at the bowl of dog food, and started gagging.

'Sorry about that, Marty,' Doc said, gently. 'I'm only human, too. I'm sorry for getting a little careless. I suppose we should clean up this mess, now.'

'I am not touching the dog food,' Marty insisted.

'It's okay,' said Doc. 'I'll take care of that. Maybe we can do this a little later. There is something else I need to explain to you. Marty, this has to do with what happened after I sent you back to 1985.'

'I don't get it, Doc,' Marty said, with confusion. 'What happened back in 1955?'

'Well, after I had sent you to 1985,' Doc explained, 'you then came running up to me, insisting that you came back from the future. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears, so I went into a state of shock. When I woke up the next day, I couldn't even remember how I ended up home. It turned out that you had brought me home.'

'But, Doc, I never did any of that stuff,' Marty said, confused. 'I mean, I never went back to 1955. What on earth did I end up coming back for?'

'Let's see if I could explain this in a way you can understand,' replied Doc. 'You see, this was a different version of you who went back to 1955 - from a different timeline.'

'How can that be possible?' Marty asked, stunned. 'There's a different version of me?'

'Okay, let me illustrate,' Doc said, as he propped up a chalkboard. 'Imagine that this line represents time...' he explained, as he drew a line across the board. 'Here is the present, 1985...' Doc was saying, as he wrote the year on the board. '... and here is the year 1955...' Doc continued, as he wrote that year on the board. '... and here is 1885,' Doc concluded, as he wrote that year on the board. 'It was in 1885, that the timeline has skewed into this tangent, creating an alternate 1955...' as he drew the tangent on the board, then he wrote 1955A on it. '... thus, leading into an alternate 1985,' Doc concluded, as he wrote 1985A on the board.

'I still don't get it, Doc,' Marty said, confused. 'I mean, what happened in 1885?'

Doc then pulled out a photograph, handed it to Marty, and said, 'Look at this.'

'Well, it's a gravestone,' Marty said, stunned. Then, reading it, he said, 'Here Lies Emmett Brown, Died, September 7th, 1885. Erected in eternal memory by his beloved Clara, shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of 80 dollars!'

'Okay, Doc,' Jennifer said, speaking up, 'you guys lost me. Maybe this is a different Emmett Brown who died back in 1885.'

'That's what I thought at first, too,' replied Doc, 'but I then found this. Look at that.'

'Jesus Christ, Doc!' gasped Marty, as he looked at the photograph. 'He does look like you. I guess that is you, standing in front of the clock that will get placed in the clock tower. This is dated September 5, 1885.'

'Another reason why I am certain this is me,' continued Doc, 'is because the Browns didn't come to America in 1908, and then they were the Von Brauns. My father changed our name in World War I.'

'Whoa, Doc, this is heavy,' muttered Marty. 'So what does this have to do with us?'

'I only grew up in the timeline where my gravestone was in Boot Hill Cemetery,' Doc explained. 'When your other self came back to 1955, I even sent him back to 1885 to rescue my other self - even though my other self gave him explicit instructions to not come back. Of course, I did not realize at the time that this was the future of another version of me. I sure was not looking forward to being shot by Buford Tannen.'

'I just realized something, Doc,' gasped Marty. 'I know this may seem a bit minor, but you know Shonash Ravine? In the old timeline, I remember that being called Clayton Ravine. Clayton Ravine was named after a teacher. They say she fell in there a 100 years ago. Every kid in school knew that story, because we all have teachers we'd like to see fall into the ravine.'

'Great Scott!' gasped Doc. 'I never knew it as Clayton Ravine. I only ever knew it as Shonash Ravine. This must have something to do with my other self in 1885 - which, come to think of it, is exactly 100 years ago. What did you remember the ravine as, when you were in 1955?'

'Well, I never really thought about the ravine,' Marty replied, 'as I had so much other stuff on my mind to think about. Come to think of it, though, I do remember it being known by both names when I was 1955. How is that possible, though?'

'Because you were outside of your time,' Doc explained, 'the timeline had changed around you, when my other self was sent back to 1885. The other you was not native to this timeline - so when I sent him to 1885, it created another timeline for him.'

'You know,' Marty mused, 'now that I remember, when I had finished playing Johnny Be Goode, I have seen Biff and his gang covered with sandbags - as if someone had felt it necessary to protect me from them. Then, after talking to my parents, I ended up running over someone who looked just like me - although I never really had that close of a look. He was wearing a leather jacket and a hat, though. Come to think of it, when I was in the car with my mom - and she telling me how, when she had kids, she would let them do anything they want. I could almost swear that I heard a voice that sounded just like mine agreeing with me.'

'I never saw any hat,' Doc explained, 'but I do remember he had a leather jacket. In fact, now that I think of it, he did tell me that he left his hat at school - and I told him that he should just leave it, to prevent causing more problems to the timeline. Hey, I just remembered something, too. I do remember asking this older fellow to hand me a wrench - and he not only seemed to know what I was doing, and he also corrected me on what wrench I needed. He also told me, with such confidence, there would be 'one hell of a storm' that night. After I suggested that we might bump into each other some time again in the future - I could swear I heard him whispering 'or in the past'.'

'So what next?' Jennifer asked, yawning. 'This really is too much to take in.'

'Why don't we take a drive to Boot Hill Cemetery?' suggested Doc. 'Then we're going to burn the almanac. There is another reason why I have ethical issues with it.'

Marty and Jennifer both sighed, as they followed Doc to his car. 


	3. Chapter 3

_October 26, 1985  
10:00 PM PST_

'Okay, Marty,' Doc said, as he was driving to the Boot Hill Cemetery, 'you remember how Biff figured out who you were, and figured out that I invented a time machine?'

'Yeah,' Marty said, nodding, 'I still don't figure out how that happened.'

'All right then,' Doc said, as he took a deep breath, 'do you remember how I told you that you came running up to me, after I sent you back to 1985?' After Marty nodded, Doc continued, 'Well, he told me, the next morning, that the reason why he ended up travelling back to 1955 was to return a book from Biff. It did take me a little while to figure why it was necessary to do that. Then I figured out that it must be a book that contained future events in it - and that he, in some way or another, managed to get his hands onto the time machine.'

'Whoa, Doc, this is heavy,' breathed Marty. 'I still do not get one thing, though. How was he able to figure out that we were time travellers during the short while that we in 2015? I mean, we left almost as soon as you took the almanac away from me.'

'Oh, Marty,' Doc said, sighing, 'you are not thinking fourth-dimensionally. He must've seen the almanac, when it fell at my feet. You see, he must've recognized right away that it was the same almanac that he received in 1955. I'm sure he also remembers Calvin Klein trying to take the almanac away from him. So, as a result, he was able to put two and two together - and figure out that time travel must've been involved.'

'Holy shit, Doc!' gasped Marty. 'I guess I must have under-estimated his intelligence! I mean, he always struck me as being rather dumb - as someone who couldn't even get his sayings correct. I guess it's a good thing that I was prepared to take him on.'

'It's possible he might have gotten more intelligent in the future,' Doc suggested. 'At any rate, knowing Biff, I do not even want to imagine what the world would be like - if he was rich and powerful. Chances are, he might even have gotten me committed.'

'Yeah, and he might have found some way to marry my mother,' Marty said, sighing, 'even if he had to kill my father to do so. I would've hate to have seen that happen.'

'Now that I think of it,' replied Doc, 'our other selves might have even gotten to see that timeline. Had we let Biff gotten ahold of the DeLorean, it might have been even been tougher for us to retrieve the almanac from him. He would've most likely seen to it that his younger self had taken even more precautions to protect the almanac.'

'It is strange to think that other timelines might have existed,' commented Jennifer, with a sigh. 'Time travel is a rather hard concept for me to wrap my mind around.'

'Well, here we are,' Doc said, as pulled the car up towards Boot Hill Cemetery. 'Now I would like to show you where my gravestone is. Why don't you two come follow me?'

Marty and Jennifer slowly followed Doc to where the gravestone was. They both then gasped in shock, as they could hardly believe their eyes. With a stunned look, Marty then ran his fingers through the inscription. He was unable to tear his eyes away, as if he was paralyzed. Even after a week of travelling through time, this was still a lot to take in. Then his shock was replaced with great sadness, as he began to think of the tragedy that had befell his friend. Tears then started streaming down his cheeks.

'Oh, it's all right, Marty,' Doc said, tenderly, as he drew Marty close to him. 'It's not me that's in the gravestone. Well, it is me - but it's the me from a different timeline.'

'That's not it, Doc,' Marty said, weeping. 'I hate thinking that any version of you could meet such a terrible tragedy. It's not fair, Doc. You really do not deserve that at all.'

'Hey, Doc,' suggested Jennifer, 'since we have a time machine, could we maybe go back in time to rescue that other version of yourself. It is the least we could do for him. Maybe the two of you could then come back here, and act like you are twins.'

'It's really not a good idea,' Doc said, sighing. 'It would not undo the timeline that he got killed in. It would simply create another timeline, and possibly cause a paradox. As sad as it is, I'm afraid that my other self's fate lies in the gravestone. However, I would love to visit the Old West. I know Buford Tannen was arrested for the murder of my other self. Would the two of you like to come back with me? We could take a little vacation there, maybe for a week or so. We'll have to arrive after the date that my other self was murdered, though. I mean, we might just as well have some fun.'

'Sure, I guess that would be fine,' Marty replied, after a brief pause. 'Jennifer and I could camp out there together, and I certainly could use a vacation before I have to return to school. I am rather curious to see what Hill Valley was like a century ago.'

'We can maybe go tomorrow night,' suggested Doc. Then, remembering something, he added, 'Oh, by the way, Marty - tomorrow, some guy called Needles is going to challenge you in a drag race. Whatever he says, whatever happens - say no, you're not interested.'

'Oh, thanks, Doc,' gasped Marty. 'Why didn't you tell me this before?'

'Oh, that must be the accident with the Rolls Royce,' Jennifer exaclaimed. 'That must be the accident that your mother was talking about in your future home in 2015.'

'That's the one,' replied Doc. 'I thought it was better to to have you take the place of your future son, as I hoped you would maybe learn that way. I did plan to eventually tell you about the accident, though. I really do want you to have a wonderful future.'

'Thanks, Doc,' replied Marty. 'I guess I really do have to work on that chicken issue.'

'Right,' replied Doc, smiling. 'Now, there is an artifact that you should see. I think you will be quite impressed.' He reached into the trunk of his car, and he then pulled out a plank that had the letters ELB marked on it. 'We found this in the mine, right where my other self had buried the DeLorean. He obviously got the inspiration from Journey To The Center of the Earth. Now why don't you follow me, and I will show you where my other self had hidden the DeLorean? Some believe that that place is haunted, but I know better. Sometimes I like to go there, and that place can be rather relaxing.'

Marty and Jennifer silently followed Doc into the mine. Marty didn't think he could feel relaxed inside a mine - but that was the one thing that made Doc who he was. When they had reached the alcove, Marty and Jennifer both were astonished.

oooooooooo

'There is one last thing I should show you,' Doc was saying, as the trio arrived back at the car. 'These are some papers from my older self. I'm not sure why I chose to keep them, except for the fact that I thought it was amazing to hold onto something that my older self produced. These include the letter that my older self had Western Union send to your other self, as well as the schematic and instructions that he had buried with the DeLorean. Would you like to check them out?'

Marty was a little undecided, as he did find the instance a little freaky. 'Sure, I guess I am rather curious to see what he said,' replied Marty. 'It's a bit freaky to think that there is another version of me in another timeline. Did he leave anything behind?'

'I can't say that he really did,' Doc said, smiling. 'There was, of course, the letter you wrote warning me about being shot by terrorists - but that was really written by you. Although, I'm sure your other self wrote that same letter in the other timeline, too.'

'Whoa, Doc,' Marty breathed, 'this is heavy! Well, listen, Doc! I really think I'd better go home and prepare to take Jennifer to the lake. I mean, we were planning that for two weeks now. We can maybe meet you again in the afternoon, tomorrow.'

'Well, take care, you two,' Doc said, warmly. 'Have fun. Remember, Marty, if Needles asks you to race him tomorrow - just say no. It's important that you listen to me.'

'I will, Doc,' replied Marty. 'I would hate to think that our future son will be a wimp.'

'Doc is right, Marty,' added Jennifer. 'I really want to have a happy future for us, and for our children. Your future self did seem to be in relatively bad shape, as well.'


	4. Chapter 4

_October 27, 1985  
3:00 PM PST_

Jennifer and Marty decided take a ride in Marty's new truck, as they thought of eating at Francesca's Italian Diner for dinner. Since this would be the last time they would get to eat modern food before taking a trip to the Old West, Marty decided that they should make the most of it.

'This is great, Jennifer!' exclaimed Marty. 'I remember admiring this truck back before the whole time travel mess took place - but I didn't actually own it. Despite all of its drawbacks, I'm happy that Doc invented the time machine.'

'So you said you have two sets of memories, now?' asked Jennifer.

'Yeah,' replied Marty. 'This will be a little confusing, but I guess I'll get used to it. You seem to be the same from both timelines, as does Doc.'

'I do admit that I am a little bothered that Doc knocked me out,' Jennifer sighed, 'because he thought I was asking too many questions.'

'Well, I wouldn't take it too personally,' Marty said softly. 'He was still a little inexperienced at the time.'

'Yeah, I guess you're right, Marty,' Jennifer said, sighing. 'Still, my feelings are a bit hurt.'

Just then, Douglas Needles and his gang drove up next to them, with their radio blasting loudly. It was playing The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and The News.

_Why does this asshole have to have the same taste in music as me?_ Marty groused.

'Hey! The big M,' called out Needles. 'How's it hanging, McFly?'

'Hey, Needles,' Marty replied, in a friendly voice. Marty believed in being nice to everyone, even if they were punks like Needles.

'Nice set of wheels,' Needles commented. 'Let's see what she can do... next green light.'

'No, thanks!' replied Marty.

'What's the matter?' asked Needles. 'Chicken?'

'McFly!' laughed the rest of Needle's gang.

'Look, Needles, I couldn't care less what you and your ilk think of me,' Marty said, firmly. 'Look, Needles, I do want to be friends with you, honest! I mean, I don't believe in hating anyone. It's just that you won't let me be your friend. You seem to prefer to get your jollies from provoking me into doing dumb things. Well, I'm not going to play your game anymore!'

'Fine, whatever!' groused Needles. as he took off. Needles just barely missed hitting the Rolls Royce.

'Good one, Marty,' Jennifer whispered to Marty.

'Thanks, Jen, replied Marty. 'I don't understand why Needles feels the need to pick on me so much. Come to think of it, I don't even remember being picked on by Needles in the old timeline. Maybe it's because I didn't have issues with being called chicken in the old timeline.'

'Just think!' Marty said, quietly. 'I could've hit that Rolls Royce. I guess Doc wasn't kidding, when he warned me about this event.'

Just then, Jennifer remembered everything that Lorraine said in 2015.

'Hey, Marty!' exclaimed Jennifer. 'I think we've just altered future history.'

'Yes!' shouted Marty, high-fiving Jennifer.

oooooooooo

Later on, Marty and Jennifer went over to Doc's garage, and they told him about what had happened.

Doc then said, 'Your future hasn't been written, yet. No one's has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one. Both of ya!'

'We will, Doc,' said Marty, smiling.

'Same here,' agreed Jennifer, also smiling.

'Just wondering, Doc,' asked Marty. 'If no one's future has been written, yet - then why were so you concerned about what happened to our kids in the future?'

'I was rather inexperienced at that point,' Doc admitted. 'I did take another trip to the future - and your futures looks a lot brighter, now.'

'Did I become a rich rock star?' asked Marty.

'Now, Marty,' chided Doc. 'No one should know too much about their own destiny.'

'But I thought you said the future wasn't written yet,' protested Marty.

'It isn't,' replied Doc. 'Our future is affected by the choices that we make in our life. However, we cannot live by what might happen in the future. We must live for today, plan for the future, and learn from the past.'

'Yeah, okay, I guess that makes sense, Doc,' replied Marty.

'I understand, totally,' Jennifer added.

'So where are we going to leave for the Old West?' Marty asked, with a bit of apprehension. 'I have to admit that I'm a little bit jittery about this. I mean, we just got through with travelling through time. I mean, don't get me wrong. I appreciate the priviledge that we have, that most people don't have - that we have the ability to travel through time. Still, spending that week in 1955 was very stressful for me.'

'I don't doubt it at all,' replied Doc, smiling. 'Say, do you know if you have any ancestors back in 1885? As I've mentioned before, I didn't - until the Von Brauns came to America in 1908.'

'Yeah, my great-great-grandparents, Seamus and Maggie moved to America in the late 1870s. I think they settled in Hill Valley by the early 1880s. My great-grandfather, William, was born in early 1885 - which is just a little over 100 years ago.'

'Then we should be pretty safe,' Doc replied. 'You, however, should consider using a different name. Maybe you could a name like John Wayne.'

'Or Clint Eastwood,' Jennifer suggested, smiling. 'Why don't you use Clint Eastwood.'

'Great idea, Jennifer!' gushed Marty. 'He is my favourite western actor, after all.'

'I think I'll use the name Jennifer Holt,' suggested Jennifer. 'She's my absolute favourite western actress - and not just because she shares my name, either. My mom did want to name me after her, though - and my dad was fine with that, because it was also the name of my great-great-grandmother. Say, now that I think of it, Clara was her mother. However, Clara was raped by Buford Tannen - so she had to give the baby up for adoption. I wonder if this would be the same Clara that your other self married. My indirect ancestors, Mark and Jamie, did live in Hill Valley during the 1880s.'

'Wait a minute! Jennifer!' Marty gasped, stunned. 'You mean to say that you have some Tannen blood in you? I never would have guessed that!'

'It's one aspect of my heritage that I'm ashamed of,' Jennifer said, blushing. 'I hope you don't think any less of me for it. Anyway, Buford had raped Clara!'

'Don't worry, Jennifer,' Marty said, as he gently put his arm around his girlfriend. 'My feelings for you are not going to change any. It's just that you never really struck me as being related to the Tannens. I mean, you are so unlike them. You're so sweet.'

'Well, you shouldn't generalize all Tannens, anyway,' Jennifer said, gently. 'I'm sure that not all Tannens are like the Tannens that we know - even if Miff and Cliff are obviously from the same cloth. Anyway, Biff isn't as bad as he used to be, right?'

'Well, not quite,' replied Marty. 'Remember back when we were in 2015, Biff wanted to take the almanac back to 1955 so that he could make himself rich - and, in another timeline, he did do just that. That's why, in 2015, he was ranting about how I stole an almanac from him in 1955 - even though it wasn't really me who did it.'

'I guess you have a point, Marty,' Jennifer said, sighing.

'Well, you two,' Doc said, speaking up, 'I'm going to start packing up some clothes that are appropriate to the time period we're going to visit - and you two should be changing your clothes, too.' He then added, 'Come with me, you two. I have some outfits I think are just perfect for you.'

Marty and Jennifer then followed Doc over to the chest where he kept clothes from various time period. He immediately pulled out a pink frilly Victorean dress, and turned to Jennifer.

'How about this pink Victorian dress?' Doc suggested. 'I think you'd look really good in that.'

'Oh, I love it, Doc!' gushed Jennifer. 'Thank you so much!'

'Well, you should try it on first,' Doc suggested. 'We have to make sure this dress fits you.' Then, turning to Marty, he added, 'Now I am determined to not make the same mistake with you, as I did with your other self back in 1955. He did express scepticism of the outfit that I picked out for him - but I was convinced that it was appropriate to wear. I feel so bad, now- as I probably got him in big trouble back in 1885.'

'So are we going to see my other self back in 1885?' asked Marty.

'No, we won't,' replied Doc. 'When I sent him back to 1885, he ended up in a different timeline. Because he was not native to this timeline, this timeline just continued to exist.'

'Whoa, Doc, this is heavy,' breathed Marty, stunned.

'Well, let me find a suitable outfit for you,' Doc said, sighing, 'Then we can head back to 1885. We should maybe arrive on September 10. That will be three days after my other self got shot there.'


	5. Chapter 5

_September 10, 1885  
4:00 PM PST_

'Here we are, now,' Doc announced, as he landed the DeLorean. 'We should park by those trees over there, so that we don't attract too much attention. It'll be about a two mile hike to walk into Hill Valley - but that's the best way to be as discreet as possible, as well as preserving the space-time continuum.'

'Right, Doc,' replied Marty, with understanding. 'Gee, I can hardly believe we're a hundred years in the past - and I thought 1955 was pretty ancient. Life back in this era must be much tougher than it is nowadays.'

'Well, in a few ways, it sure is,' Doc said, nodding. 'In other ways, however, people in this era were more polite. Life was not quite so fast-paced in this era, and people valued their families a bit more.'

'Oh, really?' Marty asked, blushing. He recalled, with shame, how he was often embarrassed about his family back in the old timeline. 'So do you think I'm guilty of not valuing my family as much as I should?'

'Well, I only know about this timeline,' Doc explained. 'You did tell me, back in 1955, that you were often unhappy with your own family. I think much of it was your mother's fault, however. I do remember you said she was sometimes verbally abusive, and that she disapproved of your relationship with Jennifer.'

'She did?' Jennifer asked, shocked. Then, turning to Marty, she added, 'It's hard to believe your mother being like that. I always imagined that she was a very cool woman to be around. So how all has your life changed, Marty?'

'Well, in the old timeline, Biff had been my father's supervisor,' Marty explained, 'and Biff had always bullied my dad into writing his reports for him. My father was, well, basically a wimp who couldn't say no to anyone. Also, my mom drank a lot - as she had difficulty coping with my father being the way he is. My brother worked by the counter at Burger King, and he was just as much of a wimp as my father. My sister was overweight, and she wished to be more popular. I usually went over by Doc's place, to get out of the house as much as possible.'

'It's really hard to imagine your sister not being popular,' Jennifer said, laughing. 'I mean, she has all of those boyfriends. I wonder how she keeps up with all of them. You're the only boy that I'm really in love with.'

'You're the only girl I would want,' Marty said, smiling. 'I'm so glad Doc had convinced me to stand up to Needles. Now our future will be much brighter. I hope that our son turns out to not be a wimp.'

'Now, Marty and Jennifer,' Doc interjected, 'I must caution you to be careful what you talk about. Luckily, there's nobody else around right now - but we must do our best to blend in. Also, the two of you should remember not to use any of the modern slang that you're used to using. Marty, remember how you confused me with the word heavy?'

'Yeah, I do,' Marty said, sheepishly. 'We are in a different time period, and many of the standards of this era are much different. Gee, I certainly wouldn't want to live here.'

'I personally wouldn't mind living here,' Doc replied. 'Still, I understand why the two of you wouldn't. That's the nice thing about having a time machine, you know. We can visit different time periods.'

oooooooooo

Clara Clayton was talking a walk with Maggie McFly, when Clara saw something she didn't think was right.

'Hey, Maggie,' Clara said, 'doesn't this fellow over there look a lot like Emmett Brown?'

'Aye,' Maggie said, after taking a long pause, 'sure'n he looks a lot like Emmett. Maybe we should head back to our farm. I understand that his loss was very devastating to you. He was such a fine fellow. I miss him, too.'

'I am not sure I can ever forgive Buford for shooting him,' Clara said, as tears filled her eyes. 'There never will be another fellow like him. He was one of a kind, and I lost him.' Clara took out her handkerchief, as she began to cry. 'I don't understand why God allowed such a tragedy to happen to me. How could He let it happen like this?'

'Perhaps God figured it was his time to go home,' replied Maggie. 'Sometimes God works in ways that you and I don't understand, but everything happens for a reason. It's like when I lost me brother-in-law, Martin.'

'Oh, what happened to Martin?' asked Clara, as she wiped her eyes. She then looked up, and she couldn't believe her eyes as she saw a a very familiar looking man. He looked exactly like Emmett.

'Come on, Clara,' Maggie prodded. 'This man does bear a remarkable resemblance to Emmett, but that can't be him. He could just be a relative - or he may even be Emmett's twin brother.'

'Well, I must talk to him,' Clara insisted. Then she ran up towards the man, who was accompanied by a young man and a young women, and she shouted, 'Emmett! Emmett! Is that really you? Did you come back from the dead?'

'Clara, just leave that gentleman alone and come back here,' Maggie said, in a no-nonsense tone. 'I understand that you're still grieving over Emmett, but this does not excuse your forward behaviour. One must still be polite.'

'Just shut up, Maggie,' Clara snapped. Then, she turned back towards the man and asked, 'You really are Emmett! You came back from the dead! It's such a real miracle!' Clara then embraced Emmett and started to weep.

oooooooooo

While Doc was a little taken aback by Clara's sudden embrace and weeping, he instinctively hugged her back. He then realized why his counterpart loved her so much. His heart immediately went out for the woman.

'Hey, sir,' Maggie said, blushing, as she stood up, 'I heartily apologize for my friend's behaviour. You look a lot like someone she was in love with, and she is currently mourning his passing.'

'Don't worry about it, ma'am,' Doc said, smiling. 'Anyway, she's right. I am Emmett Brown, and I did come back from the dead. I just thought I'd, uh, give her a little surprise.'

'Please tell me you came here to stay, Emmett,' Clara sobbed. 'I cannot bear to lose you again. You mean so much to me, Emmett. I really love you a lot, and I hope Buford gets his comeuppance for shooting you.'

Doc was uncertain of how to respond. He hadn't even considered what would happen if he ran into Clara. He could not bear to break this precious woman's heart again. He might have to send Marty and Jennifer back to 1985 without him. However, he know that they - especially Marty - would not be able to bear to leave him behind. Maybe he could bring them back to 1985, and leave the DeLorean back in 1885 with him. It would remove the temptation from the teens, and perhaps he could still visit them in 1985 occassionally. However, he was concerned that so much back-and-forth time travel could cause major disruptions to the space-time continuum.

oooooooooo

'So who might the two of you be?' asked the woman who accompanied Clara.

'Eastwood,' replied Marty, remembering the alias he had decided on before. 'My name is Clint Eastwood.'

'Pleased to meet you, Mr. Eastwood,' the woman said, warmly. 'My name is McFly - _Mrs._ Maggie McFly, that is. Seamus is me husband. Are you new around this place?'

'Yeah, Mrs. McFly,' replied Jennifer, 'we came here from San Francisco. By the way, my name is Jennifer Holt.'

'Mrs. or Miss?' asked Maggie. 'Are the two of you courting each other? You both look very familiar to me.'

'Miss,' replied Jennifer. 'Clint and I are courting each other, and we hope to get married in the future. Why do we look very familiar to you, if you don't mind me asking?'

'Well, I am not sure I should really tell you without talking to Seamus first,' replied Maggie. 'You both do remind me of some dear folks, though. So where do you know Emmett from?'

'He, uh, he asked us to come with him,' replied Marty. 'We met him back in San Francisco.'

'So the woman that is with you is Clara?' Jennifer asked, with curiosity.

'Aye,' replied Maggie. 'Clara Clayton is her name. She had a romantic interest with Emmett, before he died. She had only known him for a few days before his tragic death. She hasn't even been here for two weeks yet.'

Marty's heart immediately skipped a beat, as he asked, 'Would she, by any chance, happen to be a teacher?'

'Why, yes, she is,' replied Maggie. 'That's why she moved to town, in fact. She came here to take on a teaching job at our town's school, as our old teacher had retired from teaching. She if quite a fine teacher, I might say.'

Everything then started to come into place. Clara Clayton had fallen over the ravine in the old timeline - but this new timeline was somehow formed by the _other_ Doc's presence in this time period. 


	6. Chapter 6

_September 10, 1885  
4:30 PM PST_

'Why did you tell Clara you were Emmett come back from the dead?' Marty asked, horrified. 'You could have just told her that you were a brother or something. Now she's probably going to expect you to stay with her, or something.'

'You also could have freaked her out,' added Jennifer. 'I mean, I would be freaked out - if I was told that someone had come back from the dead. Don't you realize how that may have sounded?'

'She didn't sound very freaked out to me,' Doc replied, somewhat defensively. Then, with a sigh, he added, 'I guess I should have just told her I was a brother, though. I think I was blinded by love, though. After all, if the other me was fated to fall in love with her - then I must be fated to fall in love with her, too.'

'This is heavy, Doc,' Marty said, sighing. 'I don't think you made a very wise choice, however. I mean, how are you going to explain to her that you're not the same Doc that was shot by Buford? I don't think she would understand. I mean, how long I been with ya - and I don't even understand it?'

'Well, other than seeing my gravestone back in 1955,' Doc said, sighing, 'I'm sure that my life is nearly identical to that of the other me. Besides, Clara said she had only known him for a few days. Am I really that much different from my other self, that Clara would not recognize me?'

'Doc, you're a scientist,' Marty pointed out. 'So you tell me. What's the right thing to do, up here?'

Doc said to himself, as he was silent for a minute. Then, in a quiet voice, he said, 'You know, Marty, ordinarily I would agree with you. The thing is, though, I am a 65 year old bachelor - and I greatly adore Clara. Please, Marty, try to understand how I feel. I mean, you and Jennifer have each other, right? Tell me, Marty, why should I deprive myself the chance to have love in my life - just because I'm a scientist?'

Marty was uncertain of how to respond. After he took a close look at Doc, he did notice that his friend looked very sad. Marty just put his arm around his friend's waist, and tears welled up in his own eyes. It really did break his heart to see best friend so distressed, and he felt bad about being so critical.

'Hey, Doc,' Jennifer suggested, 'perhaps, we could bring Clara back to 1985 with us. After all, according to Marty, Clara was supposed to fall into that ravine. Then, that way, we could all be happy.'

'Yeah, okay, that could work,' Marty said, smiling. 'Anyway, I have noticed how sad Clara was over losing the other Doc. Maybe we could _all_ be happy, if we could just bring Clara back to the future with us.'

Doc was silent for a minute - then, with a smile, he said, 'You know, that just might work. Come to think of it, it would be less risky on the continuum to bring Clara back with us - than for me to stay in the Old West with her, as much as I really do love this era. The one major question is, though, how would Clara feel about the idea of coming back to 1985 with us? For that matter, how do we explain to her that I'm a time traveller?'

'Well, we could just show her your DeLorean,' suggested Marty. 'Then we could show her how it works. After that, we could ask her how she would feel about coming to 1985 with us. I mean, I think that would work.'

'Yeah, you know,' Doc said, slowly, 'I must say you're very smart, Marty. After all, if there is anyone else that I could trust to know about the time machine, it would be Clara. Granted, I've only known her for a few minutes - but she was obviously very devoted to my other self. I mean, she had even erected my gravestone in memory of me.'

'So, anyway, Doc,' Jennifer said, 'what are we going to do, as soon as we walk into town? I'm feeling a bit hungry, as I haven't really eaten much for supper - because I was feeling so hungry.'

'Yeah, I am feeling a little hungry, too,' Marty added, nodding. 'So are we still planning to stay here for about a week? I guess it would still be nice to have a little vacation from school, but I'm already starting to miss things like rock and roll music and my Toyota truck. What did people do for fun in this era, anyway?'

'Oh, there were a lot of ways to have fun in this era,' replied Doc. 'Anyway, as soon as we get into town, we could stop by a restaurant, and grab a bite to eat. I'm really not so sure how long we'll be staying in 1885. To everyone else, I maybe could just say that I'm Emmett's twin brother. Clara can know me as Emmett, though. I think she might have had that gut instict, anyway, that I really was Emmett Brown.'

oooooooooo

'See, Maggie,' Clara was saying, somewhat triumphantly, 'I told you he was Emmett come back from the dead.'

After pausing for a moment, Maggie softly said, 'Maybe you are right, after all, Clara. Anyway, you know that young man and woman that Emmett was with. I wonder if they have also come back from the dead. Remember how I had told you about me brother-in-law, Martin? You know, he's the one who was stabbed in the gut with a Bowie knife. Anyway, that young man who claimed his name was Clint Eastwood might really be me brother.'

'That could very well be possible,' Clara said, with awe. 'I must say that I did find Clint Eastwood to be a rather handsome young man. Not in the same way as Emmett, mind you - but he was very attractive, nonetheless.'

'Aye,' Maggie said, nodding. 'The young woman he was with looked exactly like Juniper Parker. She was, in fact, the sister of Mark Parker at the Parker ranch. They also had a sister named Clara.'

'So what happened to Juniper?' Clara asked, worriedly. 'Did she get murdered, too?'

'No, she didn't,' Maggie said, shaking her head. 'She actually ended up committing suicide, a few days after Martin was killed. She could never get over Martin's death. Anyway, I'm not sure if I should tell Seamus about this. After all, this might be a bit off-putting to him. They both do bear such remarkable similarities, though.'

Clara suddenly felt great shame, as she heard what Maggie said. She herself had been contemplating suicide the past few days, as she had difficulty coping with Emmett's death. Perhaps God had heard her cries, though - so He allowed her beloved Emmett to return to her. Like any good Christian, she was a firm believer in miracles.

'Are you feeling all right, Clara?' Maggie asked, with concern. 'You seem a little troubled.'

'Uh, no, Maggie,' Clara said, blushing, 'I'm fine. It's just that I can understand how Juniper must have felt. That poor girl seemed very heartbroken over the loss of her beau, just like I was. I should say that it's a real miracle that God allowed Emmett to come back to us. Perhaps the other two really are Martin and Juniper. They did seem like they were very much in love with each other. So how long have Martin and Juniper been courting each other?'

'For about two years,' replied Maggie. 'That is how long we were living in Virginia City. It was like love at first sight for the two of them. Poor Juniper was very concerned about Martin's heady ways - and, sadly, Martin never did listen to her. This has to be the most tragic love story, since Romeo and Juliet.'

'I feel very bad, Maggie,' Clara whispered, as she was blinking back tears. 'So what do you remember about Martin?'

'Well, besides his problem with not wanting others to think him a coward,' Maggie said, softly, 'he had a very nice personality, with a nice sense of humour. He was the kind of fella that everyone loved. There really was nothing to not like about him. He was often insecure about his height, though. He hated being so short.'

'But he's very handsome, though!' Clara protested. Then, blushing, he added, 'Well, that is, if he really does look like that Clint Eastwood fellow that I spoke with a little bit.'

'The only thing I noticed differently was the accent,' Maggie replied. 'They both had American accents, and that is why I'm a little uncertain of whether they really were Martin and Juniper. The resemblance is very uncanny, though. Also, what are the chances of two other people who look exactly like them falling in love?'

'Well, if Emmett can come back from the dead,' Clara said, smiling, 'then I guess Martin and Juniper can, too.'

'Anyway, we'll have to introduce them to Seamus,' Maggie repled, quietly. 


	7. Chapter 7

_September 10, 1885  
5:30 PM PST_

Seamus McFly and Mark Parker were eating supper at Wilder's Diner, as both had decided to take a break from hunting for awhile. They were eating pork chops with applesauce and green beans.

'So how is Maggie doing?' Mark asked. 'I'm sure that William and Steven will grow up to become good friends.'

'She's doing fine, for the most part,' Seamus replied. 'I think she really does miss Mr. Brown a lot, though. Can't blame her in the least, since we've all grown really fond of the blacksmith. May God rest his soul, poor fellow.'

'The same could be said of Jamie,' Mark said, nodding. 'Even Jessica misses him terribly. The blacksmith has always had a way with the children, that's for sure. I wonder how Miss Clayton is coping with the whole thing, though.'

'Aye, Miss Clayton was quite fond of Mr. Brown, wasn't he?' Seamus asked, quietly. He was rather stunned, as he saw who had just walked into the restaurant.

'What is it, Seamus?' Mark asked, with concern. After he looked up, he gasped, 'Goodness gracious! This looks a lot like the blacksmith, with Martin and Juniper! Oh, why did Juniper have to go and kill herself like that?'

'She must've really missed Martin a lot,' Seamus said, with sadness. 'They were both only seventeen years old, too. They had such a promising future together, then Martin got stabbed in the gut with a Bowie knife, in the saloon.'

'Of course, the girl could also be Clara,' Mark said, sighing. 'My sister, that is. Her name is Clara, too. She had been raped by Buford a few years ago, and she had to give her baby up for adoption. By the way, I wonder what she's been up to, lately. I mean, I'm really concerned about. She is currently the same age as Juniper was, when she...'

'I remember Clara,' Seamus said, sighing. 'Her sister's death was very hard on her. It is a terrible shame that she was raped a few years ago. It's such a terrible thing to have happen to anyone.'

'Hey, Mr. Brown,' Mark blurted out, as the trio had walked by them.

'Uh, hello,' the blacksmith look-alike said, quietly, 'do I, by any chance, know you?'

'Well, you look a lot like someone that we knew,' replied Mark. 'We had a blacksmith in town, who died tragically a few days ago - from a gun wound that was inflicted by Buford Tannen. His name was Emmett Brown.'

'Oh, well, yeah,' the blacksmith look-alike said, with uneasiness, 'he was my twin brother. My name is Edmund.'

'I'm sorry to hear about your loss, uh... Is it all right if I call you Edmund?' Seamus said, quietly.

'Uh, yeah, you can call me Edmund,' replied Edmund. 'We were, in fact, just stopping by - to see if we could pay my brother a little visit. It's a shame to find out that he's dead. I was really close to him, in fact.'

'So who are the folks that you came with?' Seamus couldn't help but ask.

'This young man here is Clint Eastwood,' Edmund said, as he placed his hand on the young man's head, 'and this girl over here is Jennifer Holt. The two of them do have a romantic relationship with each other.'

Seamus and Mark both gasped, as they were stunned. They could hardly believe what it was they heard.

'Are you gentlemen feeling fine?' Edmund asked, with concern. 'We didn't mean to startle you.'

'Aye, we're fine,' replied Seamus. 'It's just that they, uh, well, they remind me of people that we also knew.'

'Oh, how so?' Edmund asked, with curiosity. 'Say, do you mind if we sit with you gentlemen for awhile?'

'Uh, no, go right ahead,' Mark said, warmly. 'So where have you met Mr. Eastwood and Miss Holt?'

'Well, Clint and I were very close friends for a long time,' Edmund explained, 'and Jennifer came along, when Clint met her at school, and fell in love with her.'

'Well, you see,' Seamus said, with some discomfort, 'Mr. Eastwood here greatly resembles me brother, Martin. He was stabbed in the gut with a Bowie knife in a saloon in Virginia City, unfortunately. He was also in love with a young girl named Juniper Parker, who greatly resembles Miss Holt here.'

'Holy shit!' gasped Clint, stunned. 'This is heavy.'

'Heavy?' Seamus asked, with confusion. 'I fail to see what weight has to do with this.'

'What he means is,' Jennifer added, nervously, 'this is quite unbelievable that we resemble another couple that you knew awhile back. So you're saying that we resemble Martin and Juniper, and they were also a couple?'

'Aye,' replied Seamus, nodding. 'It's really amazing what had brought the three of you together.'

'If you don't mind,' Edmund said, quietly, 'the three of us would like to eat dinner alone. It was great getting to meet the two of you, though. I don't think we ever caught your names, though.'

'My name is Seamus McFly,' Seamus said, warmly, 'and this is Mark Parker. I guess we'll be speaking with the two of you two a little later. Have a great dinner, you two.'

'Thank you,' Emmett said, warmly, as the trio began to leave.

'I'm afraid you've made our visitors feel a little uncomfortable,' Mark said, with reproach.

'I guess I did,' Seamus said, sighing. 'I know it's wrong to pry into another man's affairs, but I really could not help wondering why they looked so familiar to us. I really miss Martin and Juniper.'

oooooooooo

'I really don't believe this!' Marty exclaimed, as he sat down with Doc and Jennifer. 'I guess I now know who I was named after, but how could he have been dating someone who looks exactly like Jennifer?'

'Yeah, this is very uncanny,' Jennifer said, nodding. 'Juniper is my great-great-grandaunt, and I always knew about her having committed suicide. I never knew she dated a Martin McFly, though. I guess this means our ancestors ended up crossing paths sometime in the past. Maybe it is a small world.'

'Well, I'm not sure what to say,' Doc said, sighing. 'It appears that I am not the only one to have had a double in this era - even though, technically, my double was really me from another timeline.'

'At least Martin and Juniper are not our direct ancestors,' Marty replied. 'In fact, it appears that they had never even married. I wonder how it was that Martin had met such a tragic ending. Do you think we could maybe go back and try to prevent his death from taking place.'

'I'm afraid that's out of the question,' Doc replied. 'We could risk creating a paradox, and possibly making things worse, if we went back to prevent your namesake's death from taking place. As much as we might like to change a few things about the past, we must use the time machine responsibly.'

'I guess you're right, Doc,' Marty said, feeling a bit bummed. 'It is sad to think that he was only seventeen years old when he died, though - and that poor Juniper ended up committing suicide, as a result.'

'How could Juniper take her own life like that?' Jennifer asked, with dismay. 'Granted, I would feel quite horrible if anything ever happened to Marty - but I can't see that I would ever kill myself for any reason.'

'I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it,' Doc said, shaking his head. 'It is indeed a very terrible tragedy, but we can't be using the time machine to prevent every tragedy that ever happened.'

'Suddenly, I don't feel so hungry anymore,' Marty said, as he was blinking back tears.

'I don't feel all that hungry myself,' Jennifer said, quietly. 'This is just too sad to think about.'

'Well, you must try to eat something,' Doc said, gently. 'It looks like this restaurant serves pancakes with frozen strawberries on top. Would you two like to try that.'

'Oh, sure,' repled Marty. 'I guess I'll try to eat something, and put this tragedy out of my mind. So where will we be sleeping tonight? You know, I'm starting to feel a bit tired.'

'Clara did mention something about inheriting the blacksmith workshop from the other me,' Doc said, quietly. 'Maybe we could find someplace there to sleep tonight. As soon as I can figure out how I should explain to Clara about the time machine, we might then be able to bring her back to 1985 with us. It will end up being a real major adjustment to her, though. We'll have to do our part to help her adjust to our era.'

'That shouldn't be a huge problem,' Marty said, as he smiled at Doc.

'I am pretty sure she's not used to really loud music,' Doc said, gently, 'so don't go trying to push your rock and roll music on her. At least give her time to adjust to the basics of living in the 20th century, got it?'

'All right then, Doc,' Marty replied. Then, with a smile, he added, 'I really hope everything works out between you and Clara. It appears that she really did love you.'

'I have a really good feeling about this,' Doc said, smiling back. 


	8. Chapter 8

_September 10, 1885  
7:00 PM PST_

Later in the evening, Doc, Marty, and Jennifer had all decided to take a hike towards the river. Marty did his best to enjoy the nice cool breeze blowing over him. He couldn't stop worrying, however, about how he bore such a strong resemblance to his great-great-granduncle of the same name. The idea that his namesake also had a relationship with someone who bore a strong resemblance to Jennifer was very uncanny. He also thought it to be rather distressing how their lives had both ended in tragedy.

"Are you okay, Marty?" Doc asked, with concern. "You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"I really wish we could go back in time and stop the tragedy," Marty replied, fighting back tears.

"Yeah, Doc," added Jennifer, "it appears that this Juniper is supposed to be a lot like me. I just can't see that I would ever kill myself, even if anything did happen to Marty. Of course, I would miss him terribly - but life would still on. Although, now that we have a time machine, we could just..."

"Please, Marty and Jennifer," Doc said, gently. "I understand how you both feel, but I think you're really starting to lose sight of the fact that this tragedy happened over a hundred years ago from our present."

"I think it's just that having a time machine really changes my perspective on everything," Marty said, sighing. "I mean, I don't think my life will ever be the same - after having spent that week back in 1955."

"Yeah," Jennifer said, nodding, "I mean, I still have quite a hard time believe that we're actually in _18_85, instead of 1985. I guess you've had thirty years to get used to the idea, but we're still very new to it."

"I guess I tend to forget that," Doc said, sighing. "I mean, can you imagine how hard it was for me to have to wait thirty years before I could discuss this with anyone? Then, there was also the stress of knowing that my gravestone was in Boot Hill Cemetery - and it still is."

"Yeah, I see what you mean, Doc," Marty said, quietly. "I mean, you..." Marty gasped, as he saw some people several yards ahead, kneeling over a body. Marty felt the sudden urge to find out who the body belonged to.

"Marty, come back here right now!" Doc called out, sternly.

Marty didn't listen, as he continued to run - with Jennifer running after him. As soon as Marty could recognize the body's form, tears began to well up in his eyes. This girl looked exactly like Jennifer!

"Oh, it's a surprise to see you folks here," Seamus said, looking up. "I am rather positive that this girl is Clara Parker, Juniper's sister. She was only seventeen, too. I guess she fell into the river, the current then pulled her downstream, and then the poor girl died. May God rest her soul."

Marty could tell that his ancestor was blinking hard, as if he was trying with of all his might to not cry. Marty's lips began to tremble, as he began to cry. Even though he never knew this girl, he still felt rather grief-stricken over this girl's death. After all, this girl did look exactly like Jennifer. Marty then noticed someone putting his arms around him and drawing him close. Marty didn't care who it was. He just wept brokenly for awhile.

oooooooooo

"Damn! Damn! Damn!" cursed Doc, with frustration. "Why didn't Marty listen to me?"

"Please, Doc," Jennifer said, softly, "go easy on him. He seems to be rather distressed."

Jennifer's heart sank, as she saw that her boyfriend was weeping on Seamus' shoulder. As Jennifer took a close look at the girl's body, she realized why Marty was distressed. The girl looked exactly like her.

Mark then walked up to Jennifer, and he whispered, "Looking at you is just like looking at a ghost. I can't believe that both of my sisters died so tragically at the age of seventeen. You look just like both of them."

"I'm seventeen years old, too," Jennifer whispered, stunned. "I am so sorry to hear about your loss."

"Hey, Jennifer," Mark said, quietly, "do you think it's possible that you folks could spend some time on the Parker ranch with us? Are you sure you're not either Juniper or Clara come back from the dead?"

"No, I am not either," Jennifer said, softly. "I think it's very sad that they both died so young."

Jennifer was a little stunned, as Mark held her close to him. She then embraced him back tightly, as her heart went out to her distant relative. Jennifer wanted so desperately to comfort him, but she didn't know how.

oooooooooo

Doc was about to second guess his decision of bringing Marty and Jennifer back to 1885 with him, as he saw Clara in the crowd. He was quite tempted to just take his sleep-inducing alpha-rhythm generator and knock Clara out, so that he could bring Clara back to 1985 with him. He then realized it wasn't exactly the smartest decision to make, as it would just terrify Clara - and she might find herself unable to trust him.

"Emmett!" gushed Clara, as she ran up to throw her arms around him. "It's so great to see you here! I can't believe this young girl who drowned in the river actually had the same name as me. It's a really horrible tragedy to happen to anyone. My heart really does go out to Mark and Jamie Parker."

"I can tell that this is greatly affecting my friends," Doc said, sighing. "I'm really starting to wish I left them home in, uh, San Francisco. Because this girl looks so much like Jennifer, Mar... uh, Clint is obviously distressed about this. I think we should head back to your place, and relax for awhile."

"Of course, Emmett," Clara said, smiling. "We do still have your blacksmith shop. I am certain we can make room for your friends to spend the night. So how long are they going to be staying over here?"

"Well, uh," mumbled Doc, "I hope you don't mind moving with us. We really cannot stay here in Hill Valley."

"Oh, really?" Clara asked, stunned. "I wouldn't mind moving to wherever it is you have to go."

"I'll explain more to you about this later," replied Doc. "I need to show you something, first. Right now, I really need to wait for my friends to pull themselves away from Seamus and Mark."

oooooooooo

After about twenty minutes, Marty was finally done crying. He lifted up his head, and he realized it was Seamus who was holding him closely. Marty was then blushing with embarrassment.

"I'm, uh, sorry, Seamus," Marty said, blushing. "I didn't mean to let loose like this."

"It's all right, Mr. Eastwood," Seamus said, soothingly. "It just shows that you really care. I never knew Clara as well as I knew Juniper, but I do remember she was a very sweet girl. I really will miss her deeply."

"I can imagine that you really would," Marty said, softly. He noticed that there were tears in his ancestor's eyes, too. "I don't know what to say to you, except that my condolances really do go with you."

"That's so sweet of you to say," Seamus gushed. "So would you like to stop by our place for awhile?"

"It's nice of you to offer," Marty said, softly, " But Doc, uh, Mr. Brown and I need to get going soon. We had such a long day today, and I was thinking that we might turn in a little early tonight."

"Well, it's been a really nice pleasure meeting you, Clint Eastwood," Seamus said, warmly. "Well, take good care of yourselves - and maybe I'll see you around again, soon."

"Take care," Marty replied, as went to join Jennifer, Doc, and Clara.

"All right, Clara," Doc was saying, "I really hope you don't mind coming with us. It's going to be about a two mile hike outside of town. I have a little something that I really can't let anyone else see."

"I can hardly wait to see what it is," Clara said, a bit coyly. "I'm really happy that you're finally back with us, Emmett. I was just about to lose hope in life, until you showed up. It's like a real miracle. We could even live on the moon together, if that's what you desired."

Doc just laughed, and said, "There wouldn't be any oxygen up there, so that's out of the question."

"How would you know there's no oxygen up there?" Clara asked, laughing. "I mean, nobody's landed on the moon, yet."

"Oh, I have my sourses," Doc said, smiling. "Remember, Clara, I came back from the dead."

"Oh, Emmett," Clara said, laughing, as she playfully slugged Doc.

Marty and Jennifer glanced towards each other, and they winked. Marty had a good feeling about Doc and Clara. 


	9. Chapter 9

_September 10, 1885  
8:30 PM PST_

"Are we almost there, Emmett?" Clara asked, with desperation. "My legs are really starting to kill me, and I can swear that we're in the middle of nowhere."

"Don't worry, Clara," Doc said, softly. "We're almost there. Would you like Marty and I to carry you for a little while?"

"Uh, no, that's all right," Clara said, blushing. "I'm sure I can make it. You know, I feel so bad about what happened to my namesake. I can tell how distressed Mark Parker was of this whole thing. I can definitely relate to how he must have felt."

"This really bothers me, too," Marty said, sighing. "I wish we could do something to prevent that incident from happening."

"Well," Clara said, sighing, "God must have decided that it was her time to come home. I know that I'm really not one who should be lecturing you about stuff like this, considering how I felt when Emmett was shot by Buford Tannen."

"Here we are, now," announced Doc, as he made his way over to the trees.

Marty was feeling a little nervous, as he and Clara had followed Marty over to the trees. He was a little unsure of how Clara would react to the sight of the DeLorean.

"What in tarnation is this?" asked Clara, as she was looking at the DeLorean. "I have never seen anything like this before! What kind of contraption is this?"

"Well, Clara, this is a, a time machine," explained Doc. "Come here, I'll show you how it works. First, you turn the time circuits on." Doc did so, displaying the three panels. "This readout tells you where you're going, this one tells you where you are, this one tells you where you were. You input the destination time on this keypad. Say, you wanna see the signing of the Declaration of Independence..." Doc said, as he typed in July 24, 1776. "... or witness the birth of Christ," Doc added, inputting the date December 25, 0000.

"This is unbelieveable," muttered Clara. "I'm not even sure whether or not I should believe you, but you all seem so sincere. Plus, this contraption does look rather, uh, futuristic. I mean, I've never seen anything like this before in my life!"

"Well, Clara, how would you feel about coming back with us to 1985?" asked Doc.

"Well, I will miss my family back home in New Jersey," said Clara, with a sigh. "Maybe we could come back here and visit them, seeing that you do have a time machine. Other than that, though, I really can't stand to you leave you. So, please, take me back with you!"

Clara looked like she wanted to cry - and Marty sympathized with her. Doc really was a special person, one of a kind.

Marty put her arm on Clara's shoulder, and he whispered, 'I understand how you feel, Clara. I have never seen Doc so happy, since he fell in love with you. That's why I suggested that we take you back with us. You two are a match made in heaven, despite the fact that you two are from different time periods. Who knows? Maybe God even allowed Doc to invent the time machine, so that he could meet you."

"Oh, thank you so much, Clint!" exclaimed Clara, smiling. "Maybe there are lots of wonders of this world that I have yet to discover."

"You're welcome," replied Marty, smiling back. "You'd be amazed by how much the world has advanced in a hundred years. By the way, please, call me Marty."

"Marty?" asked Clara, confused.

"Yeah, that's my real name," Marty explained. "Well, actually, it's Martin. Martin Seamus McFly. I'm the great-great-grandson of Seamus and Maggie McFly, so that's why I couldn't use my real name here. Marty is my nickname, though."

"Oh, I see," said Clara, trying to digest everything. Then, turning to Doc, she asked, "How about you, Emmett? Is Emmett Brown your real name?"

'Yeah, that is my real name," replied Doc. "I saw no reason to not use my real name, as my ancestors, the Von Brauns, did not come to America until 1908. Due to the anti-German sentiments of World War Two, my father had to change his last name to Brown."

"World War Two?" asked Clara confused.

"Yeah, two major wars break out in the early 20th century," explained Doc. "Well, you'll learn about them, when we get back to 1985."

"Believe me, Clara," added Marty. "You will have a lot of catching up to do - but, believe me, the 1980s is a totally awesome decade. You have awesome things like rock and roll music and video games."

"All right, now you've lost me, Marty," said Clara, confused. "It's like you're speaking a foreign language. I gather those must be futuristic inventions of some sort?"

"Right, exactly," replied Marty, smiling. Then, turning to Doc, he asked, "So what are the plans, Doc? Are we going to stay here for awhile yet, or should we start heading home to 1985?"

"Well, uh," Doc started to say. He then turned towards Clara, and asked, "How would you feel about going back with us to 1985 now? We can always come back for your possessions a little later. Unfortunately, the DeLorean will be a bit cramped with trying to squeeze all four of us in here."

"Maybe we could just go back to the future in shifts," suggested Jennifer. "Maybe you could take Clara to the future first, then you could come back for Marty and me."

Doc was silent for a minute, then he said, "I don't want to risk stranding any of you here. I'm sure we could improvise, and make room for everyone."

"All right then," Jennifer said, sighing. "I'm trying to think of how we could work this out. Maybe Marty and I could try squeezing together in the passenger seat, and then Clara could sit on top of us. How would that sound?"

"I suppose that could work," Clara said, sighing. "It does sound a bit uncomfortable, though. It doesn't take long to travel through time, does it?"

"It's not going to take long at all," Doc said, reassuringly. "We're just going to need to accellerate this baby to 88 miles an hour. I'll also hover this thing into the air, so that we don't collide with any traffic upon our return to 1985."

"What exactly is traffic?" Clara asked, with a bit of confusion.

"Well, cars are very common in the future," Doc explained, as he opened up the gullwing door of the DeLorean. "They look very similar to this time machine over here, except that most don't have doors that go up like this."

"So the carriages in the future don't have to be pulled by horses?" Clara asked, with astonishment. "How do the carriages move, then?"

"You put gasoline into them," explained Doc, "and it's the gas that gives the cars the ability to move. Maybe we can teach you how to drive, after we go back to 1985."

"So does anyone in the future still ride carriages pulled by horses?" asked Clara.

"It's mostly just the Amish that do," explained Doc. "Their religion, for some reason, forbids the use of advanced technology. Don't ask me. I don't know why."

"Maybe they're just very nostalgic for the 19th century," Clara said, laughing.

"Well, no, I think it's more than just that," Doc explained, quietly. "They happen to be very religious, and I guess they believe that advanced technology is too 'worldly', or something like that. At any rate, are you people ready to board up?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely ready," Marty said, smiling. "After we go back to the future, and get Clara settled in, we could come back and get some of her stuff."

"Uh, no, that's all right," Clara said, smiling. "I can imagine that there are probably a few precautions to take with time travelling."

"We could maybe make occassional visits back here to this time," Doc said, gently, "but we'll have to be careful to interact with as few people as possible."

"The only possession that I'm really close to anyway is my telescope," explained Clara. "We could maybe come back later to get my telescope, if you don't mind."

"Sure, that would be fine," replied Doc, smiling. "Let's board up the DeLorean now, shall we?"

Then Doc stepped into the driver's seat, while Marty and Jennifer squeezed in together on the passenger seat. Clara then sat on their lap. Doc turned the time circuits on, then input the destination date for October 27, 1985.

"Time circuits on," Doc announced. "Flux capacitor, uh..."

"... fluxing," Marty supplied, with a smile.

"Uh, yeah, flux capacitor fluxing," Doc said smiling. "Engine running. And hover mode on. Are you all ready, now?"

"I'm a little nervous," Clara said, quietly, "But I'm ready."

"Marty, Jennifer, and Clara," called out Doc, "brace yourselves for temporal displacement."

Then Doc began to pilot the DeLorean into the sky, until he got up to 88 miles per hour - then the DeLorean broke the time barrier. 


	10. Chapter 10

_October 27, 1985  
9:10 PM PST_

"Home sweet home!" called out Doc, as soon as the DeLorean broke the time barrier. "Why don't we just leave the DeLorean here for right now, and I'll drive it to my lab a little later? I'm sure you're all feeling a bit cramped by now."

"Yeah, I certainly am," replied Clara, sighing. "I can hardly wait to see more of what the world is like in 1985."

Doc opened up the gullwing doors. Clara stepped out right away, followed by Marty and Jennifer. They all stretched, as they were so relieved to be out of the car.

After Doc had parked the DeLorean behind some trees, Marty asked, "So where do we go, now?"

"I suppose we should head over to my garage," suggested Doc. Turning to Clara, he said, "That's where I live. It's not a very big place - but I'll try to find us a house, later."

"How about just renting an apartment?" Marty suggested.

"Well, no, that would be impractical," replied Doc. "I wouldn't be able to do my scientific experiments in an apartment - and there would be no place to hide the DeLorean. It's better to find a house. I have plenty of money."

"Well, in a way," mused Marty, "it will be strange to think of you no longer living in your garage. Still, now that Clara is with us, I guess you two will need a bigger place to live."

Clara was looking around, taking in the surrounding of this futuristic era. "So, Emmett, this is the future?"

"That is correct," replied Doc. "How do you feel about it so far?"

"Well, it's, uh, interesting," stammered Clara. "This world is definitely advanced, even beyond what Jules Verne could have predicted. I suppose I could get used to living here, though."

oooooooooo

As the quartet were heading closer to the Burger King, Marty felt his mouth watering.

"I don't know about you," Doc said, sighing, "but I'm feeling rather hungry."

"Yeah, I could go for a burger right now," Marty replied. Then, turning to Clara, he added, "I suppose you never ate a hamburger sandwich before? Am I correct?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what they are," Clara replied. "So that's what this place serves? I have a feeling it might take me a little while to get used to the food of this era."

"I guess I haven't really thought too much of this before," Jennifer said, stunned. "So shall we head over to Burger King, now?'

"I suppose I'll try a hamburger sandwich," said Clara. "What is it like to cook food in this era? Do you still have to light up a stove, and cook on it?'

"You'll probably find cooking to be a lot easier now," Doc replied, "even though my culinary skills were never the greatest. The stoves run on electricity, though - so it's a lot easier to adjust the temperature."

"That does sound very convenient," Clara replied. "I must say that these carriages are a lot noisy, though. Also, I don't like the smell of the smoke."

"I'm sure you'll get used to it rather quickly," Jennifer said, smiling. "Each era comes with it's pros and cons, I'm sure. Anyway, we'll help you adjust."

"Yeah, it's really amazing how much things have changed in the last century," mused Marty. "I must say, it sure feels good to be back here in good ol' 1985. I think I want to take a little break from time travelling. I never thought I would say this, but I kind of am looking forward to going back to school, tomorrow."

"It is rather surprising to hear you say that, Marty," Jennifer said, smiling.

"Well, I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing Strickland again," Marty said, with a sigh. "I mean, I had to deal with him back in 1955, as well."

"So Mr. Strickland was pretty much the same in 1955?" Jennifer asked, stunned.

"Yeah, just about," Marty replied. "I tend to wonder if that guy ever had any hair."

"That is so impressive," Clara said, stunned. "Marshall Strickland had a head full of hair. I remember that his favourite word was 'discipline'. He was also telling his son to remember that word. So is Mr. Strickland a school teacher, like me?"

"No, he's the school principal," replied Marty, sighing. "Schools are really a lot bigger in this era, then they were in your era. You also have to have schooling, in order to become a teacher."

"Wow, the times sure have changed!" gasped Clara. After the quartet stepped into Burger King, Clara looked around with a very stunned expression.

oooooooooo

Later that night, Doc and Clara were cleaning up the garage a bit. Doc felt as though he was on cloud nine. He has finally found true love. He had to admit that he would really miss this garage, but he did need a bigger home for Clara and himself.

"I must say, Emmett," Clara said, coyly, "it will probably take some time for me to get used to this era. It'll all be worth it, though, for you."

"I hope you don't mind staying here for a few days," Doc said, softly. "I have some business that I need to take care of. I also need to confess that, in order to fuel the time machine, I had to make a deal with some Libyan terrorists - for them to steal some plutonium for me."

"Plutonium?" Clara asked, stunned. "What on earth is plutonium, and why couldn't you have just bought it yourself? You should no that it's wrong to steal."

"Yeah, I know that," Doc said, sighing, "and I realize that it wasn't exactly the wisest decision to make. I really needed a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity that I needed to power the flux capacitor."

"What on earth is a gigawatt?" Clara asked, with confusion.

"It's a measurement of electricity," Doc explained. "By the early 21st century, there will be something invented called Mr. Fusion. It's a very effective way of getting rid of waste and powering the flux capacitor at the same time. Here, let me show you."

Clara then followed Doc outside, and they walked over to where the DeLorean was. Doc lifted up the lid of the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor, and he started to grab some old banana peelings.

"We really don't need these banana peelings," Doc explained, "so I'll just drop these into the Mr. Fusion. The Mr. Fusion will then generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity into the flux capacitor."

"Now where would this flux capacitor be?" asked Clara.

"It's right over here," Doc explained, as he opened up the gullwing doors and showed Clara the y-shaped device. "You see, November fifth of 1955 was the day that I invented time travel. I was standing on the edge of my toilet hanging a clock, the porcelain was wet. I slipped, hit my head on the edge of the sink. And, when I came to, I had a revelation of the flux capacitor,' He pointed towards y-shaped device again. 'This is what makes time travel possible."

"That's very amazing, Emmett," Clara breathed. "So Marty and Jennifer are at home, now? I would like to meet their families, sometime."

"I'm quite sure that could be arranged," replied Doc, smiling. "They both have school tomorrow, though. Marty has a tendency to be late for school a lot, so Mr. Strickland tends to really be down on him. Of course, I'm not exactly on his list of The Top Ten Favourite Hill Valley residents, either. In fact, he doesn't approve of the fact that we hang out together."

"What does Mr. Strickland have against you?" Clara asked, with concern.

"He thinks I'm a nutcase," Doc said, shaking his head sadly. "Unfortunately, he's not alone in his opinion. It seems like quite a few people in town feel that way."

"It's a great shame how judgemental some people can be," Clara said, shaking her head with dismay. "I think you're a wonderful person, and it's great that you really like Jules Verne."

"My absolute favourite is '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea'," Doc replied. "The first time I read that when I was a little boy I wanted to meet Captain Nemo and..."

"It's strange to think of you being a little boy when you read that book," Clara said, laughing. "I mean, it was first published ten years ago. Well, ten years ago from the year that I came from, that is."

"You know," Doc said, smiling, "I never met a woman who liked Jules Verne before."

"I never ever met a man like you before," Clara said, huskily.

The two of them then leaned over to kiss. The light streaked across the sky, leaving a trail in its wake. Doc smiled to himself, as the shooting star seemed to symbolize their true love for each other. Doc really could not remember the last time he felt so happy. His life would never again be the same as it was before.  



End file.
